Govinda Bhattathiri
Encyclopedia
Govinda Bhaṭṭatiri (1237 – 1295 CE) was an India
n astrologer
and astronomer
who flourished in Kerala
during the thirteenth century CE. His major work was Daśādhyāya a commentary on the first ten chapters of the astrological text Bṛhajjātaka composed by Varāhamihira
(505 – 587 CE). This is considered to be the most important of the 70 known commentaries on this text. Bhaṭṭatiri had also authored another important work in astrology titled Muhūrttaratnaṃ. Paramesvara (ca.1380–1460), an astronomer of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics known for the introduction of the Dṛggaṇita system of astronomical computations, had composed an extensive commentary on this work. In this commentary Paramesvara had indicated that he was a grandson of a disciple of the author of Muhūrttaratnaṃ.
Govinda Bhaṭṭatiri was born in the Namputhiri family known by the name Thalakkulathur in the village of Ālattiyūr
near Tirur
in Kerala. He was traditionally considered to be the progenitor of the Pazhur Kaniyar
family of astrologers. He is a legendary figure in the Kerala astrological traditions.
is given in Castes and tribes of Southern India by Edgar Thurston
. The legend appears in Volume III (pp. 182 – 183) in the discussion on the Kaniyar caste. Thurston had recorded that the discussion was based on a note prepared by L.K. Anantha Krishna Aiyar.
of his own son and he was happy to note that, as per the predictions based on the horoscope, his son would live long. But to his utter disbelief and greatest sadness his son died while still very young. A grief stricken man unable to find out where he went wrong in his calculations, Bhaṭṭatiri took his son's horoscopes to scholars of distant lands. An astrologer in the Chola kingdom
advised him to propitiate a deity
of his choosing and he would be blessed with powers of accurate predictions. He returned to Kerala and spent all his time in a temple at Thrissur
worshipping to the presiding deity of the temple. Eventually, due to God's grace, Bhaṭṭatiri gained unheard of abilities in accurately predicting future events. His fame spread far and wide. One day while spending time in the temple, a Brahmin
came to him and inquired whether he would be able to see his guru
in Benares before his death. Bhaṭṭatiri directed him to approach two persons coming from the southern gateway of the temple. (Legend has it that the two persons are Yama
's (God of death!) servants!) On approaching them, they asked the Brahmin to touch them. When he did so, he felt himself to be the at the side of his guru. The two men then wanted to know who directed him to them. When they were told that it was the renowned astrologer Bhaṭṭatiri who directed him to them, they were displeased with Bhaṭṭatiri and cursed him that he would become an out-caste. Bhaṭṭatiri was not shocked as he had inferred from working with his own horoscope that such a fate would befall on him some time in the future. To avoid the fate and the resulting disgrace, he left on a boating expedition in a river close by Pazhur.
The night was dark and it was midnight and Bhaṭṭatiri was in the middle of the stream. Suddenly a severe storm accompanied by rain struck and the boat carrying Bhaṭṭatiri was blown away to unknown regions and finally he found himself on a shore. He noticed a little lamp in a far away place looking like a hut and slowly walked to the hut. Reaching the house, due to exhaustion, he collapsed on the veranda of the house and fell asleep. It was the house of a Kaniyan and only the housewife was there at that time. She had some quarrel with her husband the husband had left the house. Some time during the night, the lady finding a person lying in the veranda of the house mistook him to be her husband and she, in a mood of forgiveness, slept with him. When morning came, Bhaṭṭatiri could not make out what happened. He became conscious of the reality that in the night before he had an unacceptable physical relationship with the lady of the house. Bhaṭṭatiri realized his folly of trying to defeat the workings of fate. He also understood that the prediction that he would become an out-caste had been fulfilled. He accepted his own degradation into a Kaniyan and decided to live with the lady of the Kaniyan's house for the rest of his life. She bore him several children and Bhaṭṭatiri educated them all in the lore of his profession. These children and members of their progeny were all renowned astrologers.
It is said that according to Bhaṭṭatiri's instructions, his body after his death, was placed in a coffin and buried in the courtyard of the house. The spot is still shown and a covered elevated platform has been built over it. It is believed that those who make predictions while sitting there would make no mistakes.
Govinda Bhatta
Another theory of origin argues that Govinda was born in a Ganaka (Kaniyan) family of traditional astrologers and astronomers (a non-smartha group of Brahmins) at Pazhoor in Kerala,and was a great astrologer. These Ganaka people (known as Acharya
, Ganak
Brahmans and Graha Vipra in some states) having their origin from Sakaldwipiya
Brahmins and their ancesters had migrated from west India during the period of 2nd century BC, via North eastern regions of the country, before settling in this place.The honoured title Bhatt
, he had in view of scholarship in astrology,changed to Bhattathiri by the post era smartha Brahmins (Nampudiri) of Kerala, who were in power, as a routine practice to claim all human excellence to their side.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
and astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
who flourished in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
during the thirteenth century CE. His major work was Daśādhyāya a commentary on the first ten chapters of the astrological text Bṛhajjātaka composed by Varāhamihira
Varahamihira
Varāhamihira , also called Varaha or Mihira, was an Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer who lived in Ujjain...
(505 – 587 CE). This is considered to be the most important of the 70 known commentaries on this text. Bhaṭṭatiri had also authored another important work in astrology titled Muhūrttaratnaṃ. Paramesvara (ca.1380–1460), an astronomer of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics known for the introduction of the Dṛggaṇita system of astronomical computations, had composed an extensive commentary on this work. In this commentary Paramesvara had indicated that he was a grandson of a disciple of the author of Muhūrttaratnaṃ.
Govinda Bhaṭṭatiri was born in the Namputhiri family known by the name Thalakkulathur in the village of Ālattiyūr
Alathiyur, Malappuram
Alathiyur is a village in the Tirur taluk of Malappuram district, Kerala, India. Govinda Bhattathiri, a legendary figure in the Kerala astrological traditions, was born in this village in 1237 CE....
near Tirur
Tirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
in Kerala. He was traditionally considered to be the progenitor of the Pazhur Kaniyar
Kaniyar
Kaniyar are a caste of India with origins in the states of Kerala and Karnataka. There are regional variations in the name used to define them. The Kerala Public Service Commission considers Kaniyar Panicker to be one group in their list of designated Other Backward Classes, and Kalari...
family of astrologers. He is a legendary figure in the Kerala astrological traditions.
The legend of Bhaṭṭatiri's transformation to a Kaniyan
A version of this legendLegend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
is given in Castes and tribes of Southern India by Edgar Thurston
Edgar Thurston
Edgar Thurston CIE was a British museologist and ethnographer working in colonial Southern India. In 1885 he was appointed to the Madras Government Museum, where he held the role of Superintendent...
. The legend appears in Volume III (pp. 182 – 183) in the discussion on the Kaniyar caste. Thurston had recorded that the discussion was based on a note prepared by L.K. Anantha Krishna Aiyar.
The legend
Govinda Bhaṭṭatiri, being adept in astrology, very meticulously cast the horoscopeHoroscope
In astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, the astrological aspects, and sensitive angles at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person's birth. The word horoscope is derived from Greek words meaning "a look at the hours" In...
of his own son and he was happy to note that, as per the predictions based on the horoscope, his son would live long. But to his utter disbelief and greatest sadness his son died while still very young. A grief stricken man unable to find out where he went wrong in his calculations, Bhaṭṭatiri took his son's horoscopes to scholars of distant lands. An astrologer in the Chola kingdom
Chola Kingdom
Chola was a powerful southern kingdom. They were mentioned in both great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. They were believed to have some link with the Sivi or Sibi clan, situated along with the Sindhu Sauviras. In the time of recorded history, Chola kingdom grew into a powerful empire...
advised him to propitiate a deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
of his choosing and he would be blessed with powers of accurate predictions. He returned to Kerala and spent all his time in a temple at Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
worshipping to the presiding deity of the temple. Eventually, due to God's grace, Bhaṭṭatiri gained unheard of abilities in accurately predicting future events. His fame spread far and wide. One day while spending time in the temple, a Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
came to him and inquired whether he would be able to see his guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
in Benares before his death. Bhaṭṭatiri directed him to approach two persons coming from the southern gateway of the temple. (Legend has it that the two persons are Yama
Yama
Yama , also known as Yamarāja in India and Nepal, Shinje in Tibet, Yanluowang or simply Yan in China, Yeomla Daewang in South Korea and Enma Dai-Ō in Japan, is the lord of death, in Hinduism and then adopted into Buddhism and then further into Chinese mythology and Japanese mythology. First...
's (God of death!) servants!) On approaching them, they asked the Brahmin to touch them. When he did so, he felt himself to be the at the side of his guru. The two men then wanted to know who directed him to them. When they were told that it was the renowned astrologer Bhaṭṭatiri who directed him to them, they were displeased with Bhaṭṭatiri and cursed him that he would become an out-caste. Bhaṭṭatiri was not shocked as he had inferred from working with his own horoscope that such a fate would befall on him some time in the future. To avoid the fate and the resulting disgrace, he left on a boating expedition in a river close by Pazhur.
The night was dark and it was midnight and Bhaṭṭatiri was in the middle of the stream. Suddenly a severe storm accompanied by rain struck and the boat carrying Bhaṭṭatiri was blown away to unknown regions and finally he found himself on a shore. He noticed a little lamp in a far away place looking like a hut and slowly walked to the hut. Reaching the house, due to exhaustion, he collapsed on the veranda of the house and fell asleep. It was the house of a Kaniyan and only the housewife was there at that time. She had some quarrel with her husband the husband had left the house. Some time during the night, the lady finding a person lying in the veranda of the house mistook him to be her husband and she, in a mood of forgiveness, slept with him. When morning came, Bhaṭṭatiri could not make out what happened. He became conscious of the reality that in the night before he had an unacceptable physical relationship with the lady of the house. Bhaṭṭatiri realized his folly of trying to defeat the workings of fate. He also understood that the prediction that he would become an out-caste had been fulfilled. He accepted his own degradation into a Kaniyan and decided to live with the lady of the Kaniyan's house for the rest of his life. She bore him several children and Bhaṭṭatiri educated them all in the lore of his profession. These children and members of their progeny were all renowned astrologers.
It is said that according to Bhaṭṭatiri's instructions, his body after his death, was placed in a coffin and buried in the courtyard of the house. The spot is still shown and a covered elevated platform has been built over it. It is believed that those who make predictions while sitting there would make no mistakes.
Govinda Bhatta
Another theory of origin argues that Govinda was born in a Ganaka (Kaniyan) family of traditional astrologers and astronomers (a non-smartha group of Brahmins) at Pazhoor in Kerala,and was a great astrologer. These Ganaka people (known as Acharya
Acharya
In Indian religions and society, an acharya is a guide or instructor in religious matters; founder, or leader of a sect; or a highly learned man or a title affixed to the names of learned men...
, Ganak
Ganak
Ganak is a caste of traditional astrologers from Assam, India. They are also known as Ganak Brahmins, Acharya, and Graha Bipra. They claim that they are descendants of Sakaldwipiya Brahmins, but other Brahmin clans consider them to be a lower rank....
Brahmans and Graha Vipra in some states) having their origin from Sakaldwipiya
Sakaldwipiya
Sakaldwipiya Brahmins or Bhojaka Brahmins, is a class of Hindu priests and Ayurveda teachers , with significant concentrations of their populations occurring in Western and Northern India....
Brahmins and their ancesters had migrated from west India during the period of 2nd century BC, via North eastern regions of the country, before settling in this place.The honoured title Bhatt
Bhatt
Bhatt, meaning a priest or scribe in Sanskrit, is a surname common in most parts of India. A predominantly Hindu last name, it is found most commonly in the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Kumaon and Garhwal in Uttarakhand, Doti, Karnataka, Kerala,...
, he had in view of scholarship in astrology,changed to Bhattathiri by the post era smartha Brahmins (Nampudiri) of Kerala, who were in power, as a routine practice to claim all human excellence to their side.